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Effect of ingesting a sports drink on soccer training intensity and performance

Author

Tan, Beatrice Li Bin

Date of Issue

2016-04-13

Abstract

Purpose: During exercise, soccer players are encouraged to consume sports drinks, which contain carbohydrate, to provide energy to the working muscles and central nervous system. While there is strong evidence to support the effectiveness of sports drinks on performance in competition, there is significantly less evidence available for performance during training.
Hypothesis: Ingestion of a sports drink will lead to higher exercise intensity and performance among players compared to those who ingest water during training.
Methods: Six female soccer players performed two trials while consuming either 100 Plus Edge or Water in a repeated-measures design. Both trials consisted of a pre- and post- test and a regular 90 minute training session. The pre- and post- tests included assessment of body mass, blood glucose and lactate concentrations, vertical countermovement jump ability, sprint ability, perceived exertion and arousal scores. During training, the volume of fluid consumed and heart rate was monitored and recorded.
Results: For CMJ height, the water pre- to post-test trials experienced greater increase (3.95%) compared to the 100 Plus Edge pre- to post-test trials (3.91%). The 100 Plus Edge pre- to post-test trials experienced greater reduction in mean sprint time (3.72%) compared to the water pre- to post-test trials (1.60%). There were no significant differences among trials for both CMJ height (p = 1.00) and sprint time (p = 0.431).
Conclusion: The main finding showed that ingestion of sports drinks was not statistically significant in improving training intensity and performance.